On June 29, 2010, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education issued a joint letter to college and university presidents nationwide expressing concern that their institutions might be requiring students to use electronic book readers (e.g., Kindle, iPad) that are inaccessible to […]
As we informed you last fall, July 1, 2010 is the first deadline for school boards to report administrator and teacher salary and benefits to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) under Public Act 096-0266, which added Sections 10-20.46 and […]
Franczek P.C. Works With School District and Legislature to Pass Bill on Instructional Mandates
June 7, 2010
In May, both houses of the Illinois General Assembly voted to pass House Bill 4209, which addresses instructional mandates in public schools. If signed by the Governor, the amendment to the School Code would establish a task force to study the […]
In B.H. v. Joliet School District No. 86, a federal court recently rejected a parent’s claim that the school district discriminated against her child, a special education student, by refusing to hold an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting after school hours. […]
In L.R. v. Steelton-Highspire School District, a federal court in Pennsylvania held that the school district violated the McKinney-Vento Act when it refused to re-enroll a student with disabilities when he presented for enrollment as a homeless student for the 2009-2010 […]
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled in D.S. v. Bayonne Board of Education that a learning disabled student’s individualized educational program (IEP) failed to provide him with a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Despite the student having received high marks […]
“Day of Silence” Cases Remind That Even Arguably Offensive Student Speech May Be Protected Speech
May 10, 2010
Two recent cases highlight the limitations school districts face when trying to be proactive in restricting arguably offensive student speech before it has a negative effect at school. In the first case, Zamecnik v. Indian Prairie Sch. Dist. # 204 Bd. […]
Change in Title IX Policy Raises Bar for Compliance
April 15, 2010
Vice President Joe Biden announced that the Department of Education has implemented a new policy under which it will consider more rigorous factors to assess compliance by colleges, universities and secondary schools with Title IX’s mandate for equal athletic opportunities […]